


Expedition Leader

by DigitalThespian



Category: Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson
Genre: ADHD/Autistic!Muddler, ADHD/Autistic!OC, Adventure, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, M/M, Self-Discovery, Strangers to Lovers, mild violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-26
Updated: 2019-08-26
Packaged: 2020-09-27 11:49:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20407270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DigitalThespian/pseuds/DigitalThespian
Summary: The crew of the Oshun Oxtra meet a strange traveler.A strange traveler takes a fancy to one member in particular.Adventure awaits.





	Expedition Leader

**Author's Note:**

> Yay projecting

"Who is _that_?" Moomin and The Joxter looked over in surprise at the stranger who had passed by their camp. He was a Mumrik, standing and staring with his mouth hanging open. They followed his gaze to.. The Muddler?

"That's.. that's The Muddler. Who are you?" The Joxter was quick to get to the point.

"Oh!" The stranger shook themselves out of their odd trance. "I'm just a wayward traveler passing by, seeing where the road takes me. My name is Terra Riensed. I apologize for my rudeness, I just saw him and had to know."

"..why?" Moomin raised an eyebrow.

Terra simply stared. "..what do you mean, _why_? Just look at him; he's _beautiful_!"

Moomin and The Joxter looked from Terra to The Muddler and back. "..would you like to meet him?" Moomin was obviously still confused, but the traveler seemed harmless enough.

Terra's eyes widened. "Would I ever!"

"Muddler! Someone wants to meet you!" There was a crash as The Muddler jumped in surprise, unseating his pot from his head and sending it careening down on top of the pile of things he was sorting.

"Oh dear! Oh, no, I simply must fix this, but I daren't be rude either!" The Muddler began to chew on one of his nails. "What do I do??"

"Oh, I feel terrible about this, I've gone and caused him to upend his belongings!" Terra clapped a paw to his mouth.

"He'll be fine. It's all junk anyway." Moomin waved a paw airily, not seeing the way The Muddler's shoulders drooped at the comment.

Terra furrowed his brow and brushed past the two brusquely into the camp proper, slowing once he was within speaking distance. "Hello, there! Muddler, right? I apologize for startling you, and for inadvertently leading to your things going everywhere."

The Muddler had retrieved his pot and was fussing with getting it to rest just so on his head. Terra watched him concentrate, tongue sticking out ever so slightly, and felt his face flush. "Oh! No, no, it was my fault, it's all just.. junk anyway.."

"If it's alright with you, would you permit me to help you collect everything off the ground? I would even be happy to help you sort it again, if you like." Terra smiled what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

"Well, um," The Muddler wiggled in place slightly. "You see.."

"He would love that; wouldn't you, Muddler?" A taller man had arrived at the campsite, and had set a hand on The Muddler's shoulder. "The name's Hodgkins; I'm the captain of the Oshun Oxtra, and The Muddler's uncle."

"Charmed; however I'm sure The Muddler can speak for himself." Terra was polite, but only barely so; much more like The Joxter's definition of polite. He looked back at The Muddler, who was looking at him with wide eyes.

Hodgkins was shocked for a moment, then laughed. "Quite so! Forgive me, my boy; I only meant to help with your anxiety, not decide for you." At this, Terra's expression softened.

"I really don't like people touching my collection unless I know them very well.." The Muddler looked at the ground, shrinking in on himself and clearly expecting some sort of admonishment or snide comment.

"That's perfectly understandable; I'm the same way. People just don't get it. I said don't touch my things unless you ask first, and definitely don't go pawing through my box!" Terra took a deep breath. "Sorry. I get worked up sometimes."

"You have a collection too?! Might I see it?" Terra was nearly blinded by the sudden enthusiastic grin on The Muddler's face.

"Of course you can! Though I don't want to overstay my welcome," Terra looked back at Hodgkins to see The Joxter whispering in his ear, the two of them regarding him curiously.

"I think we'd love it if you stayed for dinner." Hodgkins smiled, then turned to go about his business.

The Joxter, however, had other plans. He marched right up to Terra, drawing himself up to his full height. "You seem like a very nice man. I'm still watching you. Don't do anything you might regret." His eyes flashed briefly to The Muddler, and Terra gulped.

"I'll be on my best behavior."

The Muddler stomped a foot petulantly. "Don't threaten him, Joxter! You'll scare him away!" The Joxter put up his hands in surrender, and walked off to join the others around the campfire. "I'm sorry about that.."

"No, no, it's perfectly alright. Having friends and family who care about you is a wonderful thing." Terra eyed Moomin suspiciously. "Though one of your companions could certainly learn a thing or two about taking the feelings of others into account," He shook his head, then smiled and set his pack down, pulling out a peculiar jewelry box roughly a foot on each side, with a myriad of drawers and compartments. "This is how I keep my collection sorted on my travels."

The Muddler was brimming with excitement, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet. "It's lovely!"

Terra opened one of the drawers to reveal a varied collection of dice; some had more or less sides than usual, and they came in all sorts of colors. "This is my second favorite part. I prefer to save the best parts for last, but people generally aren't very interested, so I just show my favorites."

"Oh, what a marvelous assortment! I simply must hear more, and please, start from the beginning!" The Muddler reached out subconsciously to take a blue-red swirled one, then snatched his hand back as he realized what he was doing. "Oh, I'm so sorry!"

Terra smiled at him gently. "It's okay; you respect my things, you can look at them. Some people have to have everything just so—which is understandable—but I've only ever cared about which compartment things are in." Sure enough, on second glance the drawer was divided by several little wooden slats, and the dice were sorted by color. "Just put it back where you took it from, and I'm satisfied."

The Muddler eagerly plucked the die out of the drawer, holding it up to the light with an expression of wonder. "It's so pretty!" Terra was content to watch his face, enjoying the unbridled joy and enthusiasm the man wore. He flushed when The Muddler looked over suddenly, but he didn't seem to notice his staring. "I can't wait to see the rest!"

The other three crew members watched the two with varying levels of approval; Moomin just seemed happy to have The Muddler occupied elsewhere, The Joxter was watching suspiciously, and Hodgkins simply smiled at his nephew finding someone who understood him.

"Shouldn't you collect your things before something happens to them?" Terra gave a lopsided smile.

"Oh dear, you're right!" The Muddler half-turned, then stopped. "Are you.. do you still want to help?"

"I'd be happy to! You can tell me about things as we put them away,"

* * *

After an hour or so of retrieval and explanation, the two joined the other by the fire. "You two seem to be getting on well."

The Muddler smiled, a bright grin that warmed the hearts of all present. "Oh, we are! He appreciates my collection, and.." The Muddler trailed off with a look of dawning horror. "I talked the entire time! I'm so sorry! I never even asked your name!"

"My name is Terra! Terra Riensed; and don't worry, I was—_am_—more than happy to listen." He smiled reassuringly, and there was a shift in the atmosphere in the camp; it almost felt like he had been accepted as one of them.

* * *

"So, Muddler, you know I've been thinking that you could do with an adventure of your own; what about going along with that Terra fellow? You wouldn't be alone, but you could still carve your own path." Hodgkins was sitting by the fire alone with The Muddler.

The Muddler's eyes widened. "Did you ask him about this already??"

Hodgkins chuckled. "No, but I know he'll accept should you ask."

The Muddler tilted his head curiously. "How do you know?"

"Call it intuition."

* * *

"You.. you want to come with _me_? What about your friends, and your uncle?" Terra was shocked; he hadn't really expected much beyond the one—absolutely lovely, mind—evening they'd had, let alone The Muddler wanting to come along!

"Uncle Hodgkins thinks I could use an adventure just for me, but I don't want to be alone, and you're one of the few other people I've met who don't make fun of me and my collection and my timidity--" Terra cut The Muddler off.

"Whoa, easy there, Muddler! I'd _love_ to have you along."

The Muddler's face lit up. "Oh, thank you so much! I promise I'll stay out of your way--"

"Shouldn't I be the one saying that? This is _your_ adventure, after all." Terra smiled teasingly. "So '_expedition leader_', where to first?"

The Muddler froze, staring openly. "You'd.. you'd follow _me_? Just like that?"

"Why not? You're capable from what I've seen, you're in tune with yourself and your emotions, so while you may be overwhelmed by them sometimes, you're not going to make rash or nonsensical decisions because you don't know what you want. But most of all, you're genuine."

The Muddler began to tear up, throwing his arms around Terra. "Thank you!! I promise I won't let you down!"

Terra stiffened for a moment in surprise, then relaxed and hugged The Muddler back. "Even if things go wrong, you won't be letting me down. What's an adventure without a little excitement?"

The Muddler didn't respond for a moment. "Terra?"

"..yes, Muddler?"

"Thank you for understanding." The Muddler didn't say anything else, instead electing to give his new friend one last little squeeze before letting go. He wiped his eyes, then smiled. "Alright!" He put his paws on his hips and threw his shoulders back. "To adventure!"

Terra giggled. "Don't we have to decide where we're going first?"

The Muddler drooped just a bit. "Oh, right.."

Terra quickly continued. "I liked the drama though; very dashing and heroic."

The Muddler blushed, which had to be the cutest thing Terra had ever seen. "You think so?"

A nod. "Absolutely. So, to adventure.. where?"

The Muddler waffled for a moment, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "Inland," The Muddler nodded. "We should follow the river north. We mostly went to places near the coast; this will be something new!"

Terra smiled softly. "Sounds good. Do you need help packing?"

The Muddler blushed again, ducking his head. "Actually I already packed, I just hid my backpack behind that tree so you didn't feel pressured," He jerked a thumb back the way he came.

Terra was starting to think he may have made a mistake; if The Muddler was _always_ this adorable and sweet, Terra was going to have a very hard time with the whole 'not revealing his feelings for The Muddler' thing. He blushed furiously. He had already thought The Muddler was beautiful, but after he actually _met_ him..

He went from being 'merely' beautiful to being absolutely _breathtaking_. He had really put himself in a pickle, honestly, given that he was going to be spending the foreseeable future with this lovable, wonderful creature.

* * *

The Muddler was a far more capable individual than he gave himself credit for. "Alright, if you're sure that's the lowest you can go, I won't waste any more of your time. My sincerest apologies." Terra had been watching in fascination as The Muddler haggled for some replacement supplies; canvas patches, thread, and the like, but he was surprised The Muddler was giving up like this.

He turned to walk away from the counter, before the shopkeeper called after him. "25. I can do 25."

The Muddler turned back, beaming. "Oh, thank you so much!" He reached into a pouch he kept on his belt, scooping out the entirety of it's contents; almost exactly the amount The Muddler had haggled down to, only slightly more. "As you can see we really don't have a lot of wiggle room with our finances,"

The shopkeeper swept the coins into his paw, leaving the extras on the table for The Muddler to collect. "Pleasure doing business with you."

"Likewise!" The Muddler left the shop, Terra carrying half of what they had bought.

Once they exited the building, Terra turned to The Muddler. "That was incredible! What would you have done if he hadn't accepted?"

The Muddler blushed slightly at the praise. "We would have needed to go somewhere else, but I was confident,"

* * *

The two stood before a small lake—pond?—with a lovely waterfall cascading down into it. They had continued to wander along upriver, The Muddler figuring that eventually they would reach either the source, or some other interesting place; and he was definitely right.

"Ohh, it's beautiful!!" The Muddler quickly set his pack by a tree, then pulled the pot off his head, much to Terra's surprise. He dashed around the lake to the waterfall, picking his way across the rocks until he finally disappeared into it entirely.

"Muddler?"

The Muddler's voice seemed to drift from behind the waterfall."There's a cave! Come see!"

Terra set his pack down as well, running after him. Sure, he would probably be fine, but waterfalls could be deceptively dangerous. He approached the waterfall slowly, grimacing at the knowledge that there was really no way around getting wet.

He hated getting wet. Unless it was on his terms, that is, such as deciding to dance in the rain.. or following his friend into a waterfall. Having rationalized the thought, he plunged headlong into the falls, though he couldn't suppress a shiver.

Once he was on the other side, he stopped dead in his tracks. There was a little grotto of sorts, with a few other, smaller waterfalls flowing out from cracks in the rock above them. It was softly lit; a warm, flickering glow as the sunlight filtered through the falls. "Terra! Isn't this incredible?"

Terra looked over to see The Muddler dancing around through the smaller waterfalls with his arms spread wide and his head thrown back. He had cast off his shirt and pants as well, his hair was plastered to his face, and his fur was quickly becoming soaked, droplets of water slipping through and over it--

Oh dear, he really should stop ogling his friend in such a manner..

He was brought out of his thoughts by The Muddler running over, holding out his paws. "Come on! Come dance with me!"

Terra gave a bright smile. "Alright, I'm game." He tossed his own shirt to the side, but opted to leave his pants where they were. He noticed that The Muddler was barefoot, and he followed his example, not wanting his socks to be any _more_ wet.

The two ran through the small cave together, laughing and dancing and twirling, and Terra knew that this was a moment he would remember forever.

* * *

"If you want to walk away with all your bits intact, I'd suggest you take your paws off my friend and go." Terra scowled at the surly lumberjack-type fellow who had so rudely invited himself to their table.

The man leaned his other elbow on the table with a sneer, even as he pulled The Muddler in by the arm he had slung around the shorter man's shoulders. He curled his paw around The Muddler's upper arm, who let out a terrified squeak. "Oh? And what are you going to do if I don't?"

"I'm going to step around this table," He flexed his paws, unsheathing his claws with a snarl. "And I'm going to start swinging until you either run," He took a single step around the table, noting with satisfaction that the man flinched ever so slightly. "Or beg for mercy. Fair warning; I'm not feeling particularly merciful today."

The man swallowed hard, though he didn't back down immediately. "You're bluffing."

"Maybe I am. Are you ready to bet your life on it?" Terra shifted his weight, and a few other patrons started to surreptitiously make their way to the door.

"Terra, don't, it's not worth it," The Muddler recognized the look in Terra's eyes, though it was alien on his usually kind face. He was much more used to seeing it on The Joxter.

The man let go of The Muddler, standing and stepping away. "Bah. He was hardly worth my time anyway." He spat on the floor. "You can have your little bitch of a boyfriend back."

Terra heard a quiet, teary hiccup from The Muddler. "Muddler, don't listen to him. He's just trying to make himself feel better." He didn't break eye contact with the man.

"Don't kid yourself. He only sticks around because you're cute. As soon as he meets someone _competent_," The man smiled cruelly. "He's going to leave you in the dust."

Terra saw red, but quick as a flash, The Muddler had darted over and kicked the man in the back of the knee. Before anyone had a chance to recover, he had grabbed him by the hair and slammed his forehead onto the table. It was mostly gravity, as The Muddler wasn't terribly strong, but it was enough to catapult the items on the table into the air, most of which rained down on the—now very dazed—lumberjack, adding insult to injury.

The Muddler ran around the table, grabbing Terra by the wrist and throwing a pouch over to the barkeep, who barely caught it. "That's for damages! Sorry for the trouble!" The two then ran out of the tavern, scooping up their bags as they went, and then ran right on out of town.

They tumbled to the ground beneath a tree not too far outside of town, but far enough they didn't have to worry about being followed. Terra's heart was pounding, and he turned to The Muddler, who had started giggling. "Well, that was exciting!"

"Muddler, you- you just--" Terra found he couldn't continue, the giggles proving contagious, and soon the two were laughing uproariously on the ground.

After a few moments, their laughter began to subside, and Terra looked over to see The Muddler lying beside him, looking back. "I should have given you more credit; I'm sorry."

"..I couldn't just let him besmirch your character like that," The Muddler blushed. "He can insult me all he likes, I'm used to it,"

Terra scowled at that. "You shouldn't have to be.."

"Would you really have killed him?" The Muddler was looking at him curiously.

"If it had come to blows and he didn't back off, very possibly. Once a fight starts one has to be prepared to see it through until they can get them and their own out of the situation." Terra shrugged. "I've had my share of fights."

"Well, I thought it was very heroic and sweet of you to stand up for me like that. I don't think I could have gotten away alone, and I shudder to think what would have happened to me if you hadn't been there." The Muddler reached out and took one of Terra's paws. "Thank you."

"Of course. I'd do it again if I had to, but I'd really rather not, if it's all the same to you." The Muddler laughed.

"I'll keep that in mind,"

* * *

"Terr? Oh, can I call you Terr..?"

Terra felt his hair stand on end, and he suppressed a shudder. Hearing The Muddler call him by a cute nickname? Sublime. Perhaps that's too extreme; how about heartwarming? Yes, that seemed right. Terra started as he realized he needed to respond. "Y-yes?" He cursed internally at his stutter.

"Oh, good." The Muddler waved his paws in front of his face as if to clear away the previous conversation. If it could be called a conversation, that is. "Anyway, you told me to be true to myself a while back, and I decided I needed to take your advice. I haven't ever told anyone this, but I wanted to tell _someone_, since that makes it much more real, in a sense, but anyway.."

Terra waited with a warm smile, but internally he was wondering what on earth had The Muddler so worked up? He hadn't rambled like this in a while, why was he so nervous?

"I'm.. I'm attracted to guys." The Muddler was staring studiously at the ground.

Terra stared in shock. Was.. was The Muddler.. trying to confess? "Muddler, you.. are you trying to tell me that you're attracted to.. _me_?"

The Muddler didn't respond, but Terra could see how his posture tightened.

He briskly made his way over and sat down near The Muddler with his back to a tree, patting the ground beside him. "Hey, hey, Muddler, it's alright, I'm not upset with you, I promise."

The Muddler slowly crouched down, finally plopping down close enough to touch, but not too terribly close. "Okay."

"What's got you all shaken up, O Fearless Leader?" The Muddler giggled, and Terra smiled. Perfect.

"I should have known you'd be so understanding; no one else ever is, not the way you are. Some days it feels like you're the only one to even try," The Muddler looked up shyly, blushing all the while.

"I understand what it's like, it's no trouble at all. But you said that like I turned you down; did I miss my chance?" Terra gave a lopsided grin.

The Muddler shot straight up, eyes wide. "W-what?! No, you didn't! I-I think you're really great," He hid his face in his hands. "Oh, I'm making a fool of myself.."

"When I first saw you, I stopped in my tracks passing your camp, and asked myself 'Who is _that_?'" Terra paused for a moment. "_Out loud_. In front of both Moomin _and_ The Joxter."

The Muddler broke into giggles. "Oh my," Then the implied meaning of the sentence caught up to him. "Oh!"

"They asked me why I wanted to know, and I answered without thinking, which was terribly embarrassing. Do you want to know what I said?" Terra smiled gently.

"..yes, but I don't want to make you embarrass yourself," The Muddler was still blushing, but he had leaned in as they talked, paying rapt attention.

"Moomin asked 'Why?' and I said 'what do you mean, why? Look at him; he's _beautiful_!'" Terra laughed as The Muddler gasped and hid his face in his paws.

"Oh! Oh my, do you really think that?" The Muddler rocked from side to side slightly, shaking his head the same way.

Terra leaned in slightly. "I do think that. There's no need to hide if you don't want to, but I understand if that's too much input right now."

"Too much," The Muddler kept his face covered and continued rocking, just a shade past 'gently'.

"Would you like me to stop talking for a little bit, or should I _keep_ talking?"

"Stop," The Muddler's rocking slowed slightly; Terra just smiled to himself and waited. After an amount of time—he never really was that great with telling time—The Muddler slowly uncovered his face, though he kept up a small rhythmic fidget; he had put his paws on his knees, which he had pulled up in front of him, and was gently knocking his knees together with his thumbs tucked between them.

"Feeling better?"

"Yes.." The Muddler looked away, clearly embarrassed. "I'm sorry that I'm so troublesome.." 

Terra shook his head. "You're no such thing. Just because you're different doesn't mean you deserve to be uncomfortable."

The Muddler was quiet a moment. "..this is kind of selfish, but.." He shook his head and his knees knocked together much harder for a few times before going back to their previous gentle rhythm. "Nevermind, it's silly,"

"I'd like to hear it, if that's okay."

There was a long pause, enough that Terra was just about to reassure him that no, he didn't have to tell him, it's alright, but finally the response came. "..will you rock me?"

The Muddler's request shot through Terra like lightning, and he could have sworn that he felt his heart _melt_. "Oh, I would _love_ to," He held out his arms. "Come here, you're safe with me."

The Muddler scrabbled over much faster than expected, practically tackling Terra in his haste. Terra wrapped The Muddler in his arms and began to gently rock back and forth. The Muddler let out a relieved sigh. "Thanks, Terr,"

"You're welcome, Muddler. I would give you a cute pet name too, but yours would shorten to 'Mud', which isn't exactly the best endearment," The Muddler giggled, and it fluttered straight up into Terra's chest, where the feeling made itself right at home.

"That's okay, hearing you say my name the way you do is more than enough." Terra blushed, surprised by the smooth delivery.

"Oh dear, you're going to make me swoon!"

The Muddler gasped. "But then who would rock me?" He tried to keep a straight face, but he soon burst into giggles.

"Oh, that would be _quite_ the tragedy, I agree. I suppose I'll just have to be sure to be around when you need it."

The Muddler sighed again, this one more content. "That would be very nice.."

"I'm proud of you, Muddler. It's very hard to admit something like that, especially for people like us. You were so, so brave. And I'm very happy you were, because now I get to rock you, and hug you, and I can stare without worrying about being weird, cause you know I stare at things sometimes and people sometimes--"

"Think it's creepy, I know exactly what you mean!" The Muddler nuzzled into Terra's chest, who reached up to pet one of The Muddler's floppy ears subconsciously. "O-ohh,"

The Muddler shivered, and Terra froze, before yanking his hand back as his mind caught up to his body. "Oh my goodness, I am so sorry!! I wasn't thinking, I just kind of did it,"

"It's okay, I was just.. surprised," The Muddler was quiet a moment. "It was just very intimate, and, well.."

"Oh. _Oh_." Terra was mortified. How could he have been so careless?! And with The Muddler, who was _such_ a sweetheart--

"Maybe another time, I'm just a bit overwhelmed at the moment," The Muddler wrapped his arms around Terra's waist, burying his face in his chest.

_OH_. Did he.. did he just _accidentally_ proposition The Muddler? And he said _yes_?! "Understandable," Terra winced at how strangled his voice sounded.

"Oh, did I overstep? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed--"

"No!" Terra burst out, entirely too loud for their proximity. He began rocking gently, as much for his benefit this time as it was for The Muddler's. "Sorry, too loud; no, it's alright! I mean—well you did misunderstand my intentions but your conclusion isn't wrong--" Terra cut off when he felt The Muddler giggling.

"So you _were_ admiring me that day at the falls," The Muddler looked up at him with a mischievous expression.

"Alright, I'll admit it, I was definitely having thoughts that weren't entirely innocent," Terra didn't make eye contact; he could feel his face _burning_, and he was sure looking at The Muddler would not help that problem. He rocked slightly faster. "But really, how could I not with you being so agonizingly enticing?"

"How about we agree to stop teasing each other for the time being," The Muddler's voice was muffled, having tucked his face into the crook of Terra's neck at the compliment, and Terra laughed. "I think we could both use a nice quiet sit."

Terra rested his chin on the top of The Muddler's head gently. "I think I can agree with that."

**Author's Note:**

> I love The Muddler and so I wrote this because he deserves to be loved  
Regarding The Fuzzy, in this timeline or whatever I guess he just never met her due to splitting off?  
Also "Terra Riensed" is an anagram; bonus points if you can figure out what for


End file.
